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Malawi Food Security Outlook Update, August 2015

Countries
Malawi
Sources
FEWS NET
Publication date
Origin
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Food and livelihood needs continue to be unmet in poor households across the country

Key Messages

  • Most households in the central and northern region are consuming their own produced food stocks and purchasing maize in local markets. However, some poor households affected by drought during the 2014/15 agriculture season are currently Stressed (IPC Phase 2). These households are experiencing constrained access to food through purchases due to low agricultural labor supply. In the southern region, drought and flood-affected households in several areas are also Stressed (IPC Phase 2) due to thin market supplies and limited agricultural labor supply.

  • Malawi’s projected maize deficit this year is approximately 500,000 MT, and the estimated cereal/food gap is over 220,000. So far, no significant progress has been made in cereal purchases to fill the gap. The National Food Reserve Agency is still in the process of purchasing 50,000 MT of locally produced maize. Furthermore, the total planned SGR stocks will only be just enough to cover humanitarian assistance needs for the current consumption year, with no reserves for the next consumption year.

  • The majority of poor households in the southern will be in a food security Crisis (IPC Phase 3) between October and December. Areas in Crisis will require humanitarian assistance, however the response and planning has not been finalized and no official appeal for assistance has been announced.